For The World We're Gonna Make
by sillykonpeito
Summary: In a world where they're destined to be enemies, will there be hope for love? A/N: Set during their training days and moves towards future arcs. Spoiler Warning. Song Fic of my favorite AOT ship - A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman


_I close my eyes and I can see_

_A world that's waiting up for me_

_That I call my own_

_Through the dark, through the door_

_Through where no one's been before_

_But it feels like home_

Annie and Armin ended up getting partnered together for a hand-to-hand combat session. The blonde boy, although a bit frightened, walks up to Annie.

"I won't go easy on you." She said, emotionless, as she prepares her fighting stance.

"Yes, no, of course you won't." Armin laughs nervously and mirrors her stance.

A few minutes later and the blonde boy was on his back, breathing heavily. Sweat and dirt clung to his skin as he closed his eyes. Annie bends forward and looks at him.

"You may be smart but pretty weak for a guy."

"I know. But I need to learn and get better if I want to be a scout." He opens his eyes and light blues lock into deep ocean blues.

"Why do you even want to be a scout? You won't survive there. I reckon you'll die immediately." Her words were tactless and it stung.

"Have you ever heard of oceans?"

"Huh?"

Armin sits up and looks at her, the sparkle in his eyes returned and his face radiated cheerfulness and innocence.

"I read from a book somewhere that beyond these walls are oceans - large bodies of salty water that cover up the whole world! It would be so salty that it would take years before the merchants here run out of salt. I want to see what's beyond these walls. That's why I want to become a scout! Ouch!"

Annie threw a water bottle and towel to his face.

"The heat must be getting to you. You're becoming delirious and weird."

She walks away and Armin sighs. He looks at the bottle in his hand. He smiles and looks up towards the sky.

"You'll see it, one day."

_They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy_

_They can say, they can say I've lost my mind_

_I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy_

_We can live in a world that we design_

"Why do you keep annoying me?" irritation apparent in the blonde girl's voice.

"I...uh...I guess I just want to know more about you?" Armin started to twirl his thumbs in nervousness. The quiet girl does peak his interest but her cold stares can really do a number on his nerves. With a sullen look, she replies.

"Why?"

"I think, beneath that cold exterior, is actually a kind person." He smiles at her, and for a moment, she was caught off-guard. She composes herself and scowls at him.

"Well, I think you're wrong."

She brushes past him and walks away, bangs hiding her face and the light tinge of pink on her cheeks. Armin just stood there, dumbfounded and doubting his decision to approach the girl.

_'Cause every night I lie in bed_

_The brightest colors fill my head_

_A million dreams are keeping me awake_

_I think of what the world could be_

_A vision of the one I see_

_A million dreams is all it's gonna take_

_A million dreams for the world we're gonna make_

Of all the people he can get paired with for watching the tower this evening, he ended up being paired with Annie for the entire month. He sighed. After what happened at the library, he's been avoiding her ever since. He decided to take a book for tonight's watch to hopefully, make it less awkward. He picked a book about astrology before heading up the watch tower.

He takes the spot opposite hers and opens his book. Alternating between the book and the starry sky, his eyes reflected his curiosity.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked, mildy annoyed but intrigued.

"O-oh, sorry. I was just curious if what the book says was true."

"What are you reading?"

"It's a book about the stars. It said that some of these stars can be connected together to form figures that can help you tell directions." Her attention now captured, she moves towards him, still keeping her face emotionless. She sits beside him and peers at his book. He points to a part of the book.

"This star will always point North and help you find your way back home." He then points to a star far North of them.

"That's the North star called Polaris. That one there is Vega. Sometimes, people confuse the two."

He turns to look at the blonde woman and sees something different about her face, there was curiosity and sadness. A type of longing he wishes to understand.

"Do you think it will ever lead us to a place where we can actually call home?" She asked.

Armin treaded carefully as it was quite rare for the quiet girl to open up about things like this. Perhaps she felt homesick and wondered about her family.

"I hope so." He responded. She points to a different star.

"What's the name of that one?" She asks. He looks at the star and goes through his book.

"It's Altair. There's actually a folk legend about the two stars. They're supposedly lovers separated by fate and can only reunite once a year." He looks longingly at the stars, wondering how fate could be that cruel. He looks at the girl beside him and their eyes met. He felt his heart beat faster and his cheeks heat up.

"I-is something the matter?" They both felt something in the air and broke eye contact. Annie scooted away and Armin buried his nose back in his book.

_There's a house we can build_

_Every room inside is filled_

_With things from far away_

_The special things I compile_

_Each one there to make you smile_

_On a rainy day_

It all happened so fast. Each touch was like static, sending electricity through their veins. They were separated from the rest of the team and ended up huddling in a cave to wait for the storm to pass. Armin accidentally knocked Annie over and she closed the distance between them. One thing led to another and now, they were in each other's arms.

"Annie...are you sure about this?"

"I...yes."

Lips crashed into each other, sending shockwaves across their bodies as the storm raged on outside.

The morning after, Armin woke up to peaceful, sleeping Annie. He kissed her forehead and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Hey, good morning."

"Mmm.."

"We should actually get going and join the group. They might end up suspicious if we're gone for too long."

They prepared for their departure. They kissed each other one last time, knowing they might not be able to do this again soon. As Armin was about to exit the cave, Annie pulled on his sleeve.

"Do you think, when the war is over.."

"I hope so, too.."

They walked together in silence as they searched and attempted to rejoin the team.

_They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy_

_They can say, they can say we've lost our minds_

_I don't care, I don't care if they call us crazy_

_Run away to a world that we design_

They looked at each other and she laughs.

"I'm sorry Armin, I guess I can never be the kind person you thought I'd be."

He knew she was breaking, right in front of him...and so was his heart. A majority of the scouts tackled her and she twists her ring, revealing the hidden thorn. She transforms into a titan before his very eyes and they ran for cover.

He wished he was wrong. He wanted to be wrong but she just proved his point. How can she betray them? How can she betray...him? His heart ached as his mind began to race and think of a strategy to get them out of there. He orders Mikasa and Eren to do their thing while he helps Jean distract Annie.

He tries to get her attention - anger, hatred, and pain apparent in his eyes. Those once hopeful deep blues were marred with something else and it hurts her. She wanted to do the right thing but...if she failed her mission, she can no longer continue. Armin continued to egg her on - almost as if he was challenging her to kill him. She tried to but she couldn't so she ended up changing her objectives instead. The more she stays, the more her will wavers.

As she ran away, the scouts continued to chase her. Armin stayed rooted in his place and felt his knees give way. Tears began to flow and he wouldn't understand why they wouldn't stop.

"Why..."

_Every night I lie in bed_

_The brightest colors fill my head_

_A million dreams are keeping me awake_

_I think of what the world could be_

_A vision of the one I see_

_A million dreams is all it's gonna take_

_A million dreams for the world we're gonna make_

"Hey. I...don't know what to do. I bloodied my hands and killed someone. I know it was to save a comrade but...I'm no longer as innocent as you thought I would be."

He stared at the girl trapped inside the crystal. Tear stains still marking her cheeks and her expression, as solemn as it could be. He moves forward to touch the crystal.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have judged you. I understand that you were placed between a rock and a hard place but...I wish it all turned out differently. I wished you were still with us."

His hands moved towards the crystal near her face. He closed his eyes and imagined he was wiping away those crystallized tears. His other hand curled into a fist.

"I wish you were still woth me."

_However big, however small_

_Let me be part of it all_

_Share your dreams with me_

_You may be right, you may be wrong_

_But say that you'll bring me along_

_To the world you see_

_To the world I close my eyes to see_

_I close my eyes to see_

While doing his rounds along the dungeon, he heard a crack. At first, he thought it was a figment of his imagination. He eventually heard something louder - like a stone hitting the floor. He immediately rushed towards the potential source and there before his very eyes, Annie's crystal was cracking open. He remained frozen in place, not believing his eyes. As the last of the crystals broke off, she fell onto the ground. Her eyes shot open and breathed heavily, as if she was starved for air.

"A-annie?"

She looked up at the blonde stranger in front of her. He was tall and his face was hardened by years of battle but something about those deep blue ocean eyes reminded her of someone.

"Armin?"

Her voice was still raspy, since it has been years before she was set free. She takes a good look at the man in front of her, light blue eyes reflecting so many emotions until she collapsed.

Day after day, he wrestled with his emotions as he interrogated her. There was a wall built between them. So much past, hurt, and history created a space between them and yet, he still felt a pull towards her. She was already cracking and was at the last strands of her sanity until, one day, she gave way. She told them all of the information they needed as she collapsed into a mess of tears and guilt. She was a warrior but she was also human.

He stayed with her until she fully recovered and even as she vowed her allegiance to the crown, she still saw the pain in Armin's eyes. She made her decision.

It was her fault, and no matter what happens, she'll wait. She'll do what it takes to earn his trust back.

_Every night I lie in bed_

_The brightest colors fill my head_

_A million dreams are keeping me awake_

_A million dreams, a million dreams_

_I think of what the world could be_

_A vision of the one I see_

_A million dreams is all it's gonna take_

_A million dreams for the world we're gonna make_

"Hey, remember when we were younger and you said you wanted to see the ocean?"

"Yeah, I remember."

As the water pooled under their feet and the sand went between their toes, deep ocean blue eyes locked on to brilliant light blue ones.

Their lips once again crashed into each other, like beautiful rolling waves of the ocean in front of them.

_For the world we're gonna make_


End file.
